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Hale and Farewell, Nico Rossberg

I’ve been thinking a lot about Nico Rossberg’s Formula 1 Championship win this past week. First off, some belated congratulations to him; he’d worked hard this year to get this maiden championship win.

He drove brilliantly against the petulant Louis Hamilton, a driver I’ve never cared for. Hamilton is so full of himself that he thinks the sport is about him; the sooner he’s gone from it, the better. “I’m losing the championship, so who cares if I lose the race” smacks of his puerile behavior. Mercedes should fire him, or bench him at least and replace him with drivers who are interested in working for the team.

Nico Rossberg has class, refusing to deride his teammate following the race. I’ve always sort of been a fan of Rossberg, even though he’s been driving (very well) against my (struggling) McLaren team. And since last weekend, Nico Rossberg has announced his retirement from F1, something all the media outlets seem to describe as “shocking”. Why is it shocking? He’s done what he’s came to do, as his statement makes clear; and he’s going out on his own terms: on top.